Avatar: The Last Airbender was a smash hit series, and its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, started on rocky footing, but it eventually became equally beloved in its own right. Korra's adventures in learning more about herself and what it means to be the Avatar are more introspective than Aangs' were, but they showed a new side to being the Avatar. Fans followed Aang through one war, eliminating one grand enemy. It didn't show how the stacks of battles and big enemies wore on him and how exhausting the Avatar role could become with time. The Legend of Korra only showed fans four years, and one can only imagine how exhausting years of it can become.

However, both stories have found their places in the hearts of their fans. Aang was the optimistic, peace-loving Avatar that ended an enduring, centuries-long war and Korra broke down the barriers between the spirit world and the human world, showing fans what it meant to be the Avatar, for both good and bad. The stars of each show, of course, are its main characters. While fans have had time to mull over Aang's reign and legacy, Korra's has only ended recently. There's still so much more fans can learn if the creators decide to make a third series and all Earthbending fanatics would find that prospect particularly elating. But until that possible future, we'll work with as much as we can about Korra as an Avatar. This headstrong, tried and tested, passionate woman deserves all the love she can get; especially for her body and spirit, which have taken some intense beatings.

Here are 25 Strange Details About Korra's Anatomy.

25. Struggled With Airbending

Though Korra was practically a bending prodigy, she distinctly struggled with learning how to airbend. Unlike other elements, airbending in particular has a spiritual and gentle edge to it that simply didn't come naturally to the young Avatar. While the other three elements were easier for her brute force techniques to meld with, airbending was different, and punching her way through wouldn't work in this case.

It wasn't until she was under extreme duress and was connected much more spiritually with her role that Korra could effectively use airbending. And even then, she used it in a rough, offensive manner.

24. Impressive Raw Strength

Korra Strength

Regardless of her Avatar status, Korra was a strong, trained fighter and the Order of the White Lotus prepared her well. Her body was athletic and prepared for any kind of battle, even without using her abilities, she could pick up people larger than herself and give wicked kicks, easily intimidating any foe.

There's a reason that the creators of the show modeled Korra after female MMA fighters. She's a warrior, Avatar or not. Aang might have the mind of a peacemaker, but Korra has the willpower of Goliath; the animators made sure her body reflected that.

23. Capable Water Healer

Korra Healing

Though Korra's fighting style is aggressive, that doesn't take away from the fact that water is still her core element. While she uses it to knock down baddies, she also knows how to use its softness. Like Katara, her teacher, Korra is an apt water healer. With the proper tools, she can heal many injuries and she shows off this skill early in her pro battles with the Fire Ferrets.

Furthermore, it's a nice way for Korra to show off her own softer sides. She may be brash, strong, and incorrigibly determined. However, she's also a character with a lot of hope in her heart.

22. Early Connection To All Elements

Most Avatars traditionally found out about their role in the world at age 16. Aang's caretaker broke this tradition because they felt the impending war needed an Avatar's presence. Therefore, Aang was told at only 12 years old and was subsequently engulfed by the expectations of the role.

Korra, on the other hand, figured everything out on her own. At the age of four, she introduced herself as the Avatar and showed off firebending, Earthbending, and waterbending techniques. As strong-willed as ever, Korra didn't wait for other people to discover her. Instead, she brought the Order of The White Lotus to her tribe with her abilities.

21. Fights More Like A Firebender

Korra Firebending Flight

Korra's MMA fighting style is befitting to her personality, but not so much her element of origin. The people of the Water Tribe as a whole are passionate, but they aren't as aggressive as she is. No matter her element of origin, she most often utilizes the fierce stances of the fire nation, especially when she starts out.

Ultimately, her water tribe core shows in her hopefulness and her passion. However, when it comes to fighting, she has one fiery approach to it all, and when it comes to her personality, it makes a lot of sense why she's like that.

20. Daughter Of A Southern Tribe Chief

While Zuko epitomized the angsty anime trope, Korra was the closest thing Avatar fans would get to a Disney Princess. After all, she was the protagonist of her grand journey, was a beautiful young maiden, and was the daughter of a chief. Honestly, move her to a Tropical setting and Moana could be her sister.

However, she's hardly the first Avatar to get involved in nobility. Avatar Roku was great friends with the ruling class and his great-grandson eventually became the Fire Lord. Even Aang married another daughter of a chief, Katara. Korra was just ahead of the game by being born noble.

19. Can Act As A Medium

Korra Spirit World

One of the Avatar's functions is to act as a meeting point between all four great nations. After all, they are the only humans who can bend all four elements. They are a convergence of energy and power, and can also act as a medium between the world of spirits and the living.

Humans in this world drew their abilities from this spirit world, however, there are few places where they cross over. The Avatar can keep the two worlds in communication and in harmony, though initially, Korra struggles with this part of her, but with time, she comes closer to understanding her spirituality and the spirits themselves.

18. Poor Spiritual Avatar

Korra Connecting with Raava

In the beginning, airbending and the Avatar State were so difficult for Korra because of her disconnect with her spirituality. After all, she'd spent her young life as more of a “fists first” kind of person. She was a powerful, arrogant young bender who loved the abilities they had.

Once she lost her bending skills, though, Korra began to connect more with the spiritual aspects of being the Avatar. In this, she finally started to improve her airbending and started connecting with the spirits. While still learning more and more about spirituality and the spirit realm, she has come a long way with a lot of hard work and experience.

17. Mercury Poisoned For Three Years

When fighting against Zaheer, the foe did reprehensible damage to her body. During their struggle, he and the Red Lotus put mercury in her system so that they could end the Avatar Cycle with her.

Though they failed in ending her life, the poison did stay with her. For three years, Korra struggled to get the element out of her, and it wasn't until Korra mastered metalbending that she was able to bend the mercury out of her system. She survived, but three years disconnected from her spirituality, past lives, and the world itself took a toll nonetheless. Her body and mind were never the same again, now more cautious and mistrusting.

16. The Third Known Female Avatar

Fans only know so many Avatars, but the ones they do know are beloved. The series has also done a great job making the female to male ratio Avatars fairly equal, while making the role feel indiscriminate among genders. There are only seven known Avatars and three of them are women. This includes the spiritual Avatar Yangchen, the fiercely independent Avatar Kyoshi, and incorrigible Avatar Korra.

The women of this show have always remained strong, individual characters with many different roles. While Korra is the third that fans know by numbers, it's encouraging to think she has thousands of years of brave, powerful, mindful women to look up to.

15. Only Known Person To Tame A Polar Bear Dog

Per Avatar tradition, Korra has a unique bond with her animal friend, Naga. This is similar to Aang's bond with his flying bison, Appa, as well as Roku with his dragon, Fang. Each of these creatures are unique in their own way. Fang was a lone dragon, Appa was the last known flying bison for a long time, and Naga? Well, Naga is the only known Polar Bear Dog ever tamed by a human.

Overall, it just seems like Avatars have a special bond with rare creatures. Naga and Korra are very close and it's only fitting for this Avatar to have found her own friendly beast.

14. First (Known) Avatar To Descend From Nobility

While Avatars tend to get involved with nobility, Korra is the first known Avatar born with noble roots. After all, Avatars have to concern themselves with the affairs of the world; they might even end up as friends, lovers, or teachers of various noble people.

Korra and her parents were lucky. She didn't have to travel the world to start shaking hands with leaders as all she had to do was live with them. This led to Korra's good speaking abilities, her friendliness, and her strong willpower. That's what leaders have to be, and she grew up learning from great ones.

13. Disconnected With Humanity

After the end of Kuvira's attack on the nation, the harmonic convergence, mercury poisoning, Amon's revolution, and much more, Korra was understandably exhausted. Years of training and recovery isolated her from humanity. Seeing the worst in people made her less trusting and when time came for her to take time to breath, it makes sense that she went as far away as she could.

Hand in hand with her girlfriend, Asami, Korra traveled to the spirit world. There, not only could she explore her weaker spiritual abilities, but also take a break from the world that seemed like too much. Four years of pain and struggle would wear down anyone.

12. Can Purify Dark Spirits

Korra Spirit Projection

Unalaq taught Korra how to balance or unbalance a spirit. However, the young Avatar took that a step further when she applied his spiritbending to purify souls. As dark spirits can hurt people, weaken machinery, and cause general chaos, it's a necessary skill. After all, not only is Korra able to stop the catastrophe, but she's able to return the Spirit World into its less chaotic, un-Vaatu'd form.

This skill does have its problems and limitations, though, as it dissipates dark spirits, not save them. Therefore, when fighting her uncle and Vaatu, Korra had to vanquish them. She could not save her uncle from his own madness.

11. Metalbending

Korra Poison

Metalbending is a subset of Earthbending discovered and refined by Avatar Aang's good friend, Toph. She constructed an entire police force around the powerful form of bending. However, despite teaching Aang Earthbending, she did not teach him metalbending.

When Korra became infected with mercury poisoning, it barred her from her own strength and Avatar abilities. She searched for Toph to learn metalbending in order to be able to remove the toxic metal from her system. After a long training, the Southern Water Tribe Avatar came out the other side proficient in the technique and Korra is the first Avatar known with the ability to metalbend.

10. Lost Connection To The Avatar Cycle And State

Korra Avatar Cycle

During The Legend of Korra series, the titular character lost connection with the Avatar State and cycle more than once. At first, when the spiritual imbalance of the world was at stake, Korra was hit with a bunch of chi-darts and lost access to her bending and Avatar State for a while.

Similarly, when the Red Lotus were determined to break the Avatar Cycle, they failed in ending her life. However, they succeeded in poising her with mercury and, for three years, keeping her away from the Avatar State and the Avatar Cycle. Each time, though, Korra found her way back to her title and showed that she deserved to be the Avatar.

9. Youngest Fully-Realized Avatar (Chronologically)

Korra Water from Air

The average Avatar doesn't get told their role in the world until they are 16. In true Korra fashion, she smashed that precedence by showing skills in several bending techniques by age four. With her training starting at such a young age, Korra quickly became the youngest fully-realized Avatar at age 17 (at least chronologically).

Yes, Avatar Aang was fully-realized when he was 12 and his transition was remarkable, taking only a single year, however, he did spend a hundred years in an iceberg between running away and meeting his destiny.

8. Expert Hand To Hand Combatant

Korra Hand to Hand Combat

In the worst case scenario, where Korra can't use her abilities, the Order of The White Lotus ensured that she would be prepared. There is a famous chapter of Aang's story in which he could barely use his powers.

This young Avatar may not have had to travel undetected, but she did lose contact with her Avatar abilities a couple times. Giving her hand to hand combat experience meant that she could defend herself in any situation, and it only made her a stronger physical combatant with her bending. It's pretty surprising and effective to follow up some fire with a real punch, though.

7. Natural Public Speaker

As the daughter of a chief, Korra spent her entire youth watching leaders do their jobs. Therefore, when she makes it to Republic City, it makes sense that she flexes some of the skills her parents taught her. When asked to speak, Korra does quite well at being eloquent and encouraging, and this skill only gets better and better with age.

Aang was always optimistic and kind, however, he simply doesn't have the same leadership background that Korra has. This gives her a great edge when her journey starts in a highly political city.

6. Visions Of Past Lives

While all Avatars have visions from their past, Korra had some very interesting images to sift through when it came to Aang. After all, he spent a lot of time rebuilding a world after a hundred years of war.

Aang worked through the memories of Roku to fully realize himself and to learn more about the state of the Fire Nation. The young water nation Avatar learned, through Aang, more about spirituality and the struggling frictions with non-benders. Visions of their past lives always help Avatars get a wider scope of the world's history, as well as learn more of their predecessors' skills. These visions helped Korra become an all-around better Avatar.